Rumors Abound The iPhone 8 May Be Delayed: Winners And Losers

Apple Inc. AAPL may launch the much anticipated iPhone 8 a bit later than expected.

9to5Mac, citing a Digitimes report, suggested Apple is working on its own fingerprint sensor that will also act as a built-in sensor. It appears Apple is making its own system in-house rather than rely on technologies supplied by Synaptics, Incorporated SYNA and QUALCOMM, Inc. QCOM, so these Apple suppliers may be left out of the supply chain.

In addition, the Digitimes report suggested Apple won't even begin mass production of the iPhone 8 until September as the company's own custom fingerprint system is proving to be more complicated to manufacturer. By comparison, the iPhone 7 was released in early September

See Also: A Look At Apple's New Patents Offers A Glimpse Of The iPhone 8

9to5Mac did note Digitimes' track record is "somewhat sketchy" and contrasts a prior DigiTimes report that suggested Apple is developing three new iPhones and production of two of these devices will begin in July and become available for a September launch. These two phones will offer a modest upgrade from the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, but the third phone will launch later on in the year.

STMicroelectronics NV (ADR) STM was mentioned by French Apple news website iGeneration as one of the companies whose technology could be included in the iPhone 8.

The publication suggested STM may provide 3D sensors and technologies to support augmented reality applications and facial recognition. The report may be consistent with STM's CEO Carlo Bozotti, who acknowledged the company won a contract that will generate substantial revenue in the second quarter of 2017.